Auburn SportsPlex shuttered

AUBURN — Athletes who showed up to play on Auburn SportsPlex's indoor field Friday were met with a shuttered building and a sign on the door that said, "Closed till further notice."

By late afternoon, the facility's phone number had been disconnected.

The abrupt closure was ordered by a Bankruptcy Court judge after the facility's liability insurance expired recently, according to the Auburn SportsPlex's owner.

Now hundreds of players and their families, from youth and adult soccer teams to baseball, softball, field hockey, lacrosse and Frisbee aficionados, are wondering where they will practice or whether they'll get their field rental money back.

The facility at 5 St. Mark St., which is popular because of its full-size field and strong training programs, has been in financial trouble for years.

In May 2012, Auburn SportsPlex LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The bankruptcy filing was intended to stave off the sale of the property after North Brookfield Savings Bank initiated foreclosure in 2011.

SportsPlex owner John Natoli was reached by phone at his home in Orlando, Fla., where he is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. Mr. Natoli, formerly of Millbury and a former Quinsigamond Community College and Auburn High School baseball coach, was distraught.

"To me that was strike three," Mr. Natoli said about the closure.

Strike one, which propelled the downward financial spiral, occurred in early 2011 when Indoor Sports LLC of Acton, doing business as Teamworks, walked away in the middle of a 10-year lease to manage the facility.

Strike two was the impending foreclosure and auction leading to the bankruptcy filing, which rolled up more than $200,000 in legal fees on top of mortgage principal and interest.

"We built this thing out of passion," Mr. Natoli said. "Teamworks turned it into a recreation place, where we were actually a professional training place. I put good money after bad."

Mr. Natoli said he and his brother, Peter, have sunk more than $2 million into the business, which they will most likely not recoup, even though they were granted summary judgment against Indoor Sports LLC earlier this year.

Mr. Natoli said a Superior Court judge will determine damages, around $3 million, due from Indoor Sports LLC at a hearing in May, but the money would go to the bank and to pay off creditors.

Saying he was "completely broke" with just $141 left in his 401(k) retirement account, Mr. Natoli said he hoped the many schools, college and club teams that had paid for facility time would get some money back, but he didn't know where it would come from.

He said he and his brother had been trying to rebuild the business.

"We were steadily growing. We added field hockey this year," he said. "I was trying to get a bunch of partners in there and then they could buy it. All I needed was one more season and we could have made it."

Lawyer Joseph H. Baldiga of Mirick O'Connell said he was appointed Chapter 11 bankruptcy trustee by the court on Friday and ordered to close the facility, since it lacked appropriate insurance.

Because it was unlikely the business would be able to obtain insurance under its current circumstances, Mr. Baldiga said he filed a motion Friday to convert the filing to a Chapter 7 liquidation proceeding, meaning the business would be sold.

"My hands are tied," Mr. Baldiga said.

Anyone wishing to obtain a claim form should send an email to JBaldiga@MirickOConnell.com. Mr. Baldiga, who said he was returning many phone calls from coaches and schools on Saturday, can also be reached at (508) 860-1448.

Worcester State University baseball coach Dirk Baker, who rented the SportsPlex annually since 2004 for pre-season training, was shocked when told the news by a reporter Saturday, just after his team swept its opening double header.

"I'm speechless about John," Mr. Baker said. "He's helped me out more than people could imagine. John Natoli would give the shirt off his back for someone."

Mr. Natoli said he charged Worcester State $6,000 rental for the season, half the regular charge.

The Fuller Hamlets, a premier soccer club, practices at the SportsPlex weekly during the winter. Messages left with club officials were not immediately returned, but people familiar with the club and the Massachusetts Premier League said participants pay well over $1,000 to play. Indoor winter practices are part of their expenses.

An email sent Saturday afternoon to club members by Fuller Hamlets President Marc Bowden said the club was postponing all clinics and practices immediately. The club was working on finding alternate facilities.

Richard J. Yanco of Princeton, who plays adult soccer Monday nights, said he received an email Saturday morning from the team coordinator, which read in part:

"I hate to send this email, but the dome has been shut down until further notice. I have no other information to give you. The owners are working to resolve the problem, but we have no control over the situation. ..."

Mr. Yanco said he didn't know if the $50 fee he paid would be refunded.

March is a particularly busy time for indoor sports facilities, as high school and other sport leagues gear up for their spring season.

Contact Susan Spencer at susan.spencer@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanSpencerTG.